ACTIVISTS wearing “We Exist” t-shirts gathered outside the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh yesterday calling on authorities to act on reports of abuses of LGBTI people in Chechnya.
Sources claim more than 100 men thought to be gay have been abducted, tortured or killed in the southern Russian republic.
A Chechen spokesman suggested there were no LGBTI people in the republic and, while Russian authorities have reportedly opened a preliminary investigation, campaigners say this does not go far enough and are calling for additional safeguards for those at risk.
Naomi McAuliffe of Amnesty International said: “Russia continues to be a very dangerous place to be gay, bi, lesbian or trans – we are appalled by this crackdown in Chechnya along with our fellow human rights and LGBTI campaigners around the world. Chechen authorities must be held to account for these heinous violations of rights and called upon to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Equality Network director Tim Hopkins added: “People around the world have been horrified by the reports of abduction, torture and murder of men thought to be gay and bisexual in Chechnya. We are calling on the Russian and Chechen authorities to take immediate steps to end these activities and bring those responsible to justice.”
Meanwhile, actor Sir Ian McKellen kissed fellow Stonewall founder Lord Michael Cashman on the check as they laid rainbow roses outside the Russian Embassy in London.
McKellen, who recently returned from a visit to meet LGBT people in Russia, said: “There is no doubt these atrocities are happening.
“The authorities in Russia do have power over the Chechen state and really do have a moral responsibility – that’s what’s on trial here.”
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